


So Maybe We Can Take Divorce Off the Table

by cheerfuldisdain



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s06e02 The Incident, Fix-It, Let's Have Healthy Conversations but like...Sensually, M/M, The Cure for Second-Hand Embarrassment is NO Embarrassment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:14:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26675758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheerfuldisdain/pseuds/cheerfuldisdain
Summary: “David,” he began, “I know how embarrassed you’re feeling right now. I know you feel embarrassed. But what if you just decided…not to be?”
Relationships: Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Comments: 42
Kudos: 179





	So Maybe We Can Take Divorce Off the Table

**Author's Note:**

> I've been thinking about why it is that I have such terrible second-hand embarrassment with fictional characters, and yet I am actually usually fine with embarrassing situations in my own life - and I realized it's mostly because I have a general policy of like...opting-out of being embarrassed? Honestly I am a big fan just rejecting embarrassment. So I thought I would extend that courtesy to David Rose, but, you know...sensually. 
> 
> Literally I have never written fanfiction in my life and only watched this episode once many months ago when it aired. Why did I suddenly have this idea and immediately write it tonight, you ask??? Great question, thank you for asking. Unfortunately some mysteries are not meant to be understood.

Patrick’s head tilted to the right, eyes flitting back and forth between David’s. He opened his mouth as if to say something, only to have it get caught in his throat. He looked away– in frustration? Disgust? – and let out a slow breath, nodding softly to himself as the tension seemed to ease out of his shoulders. Slowly, so slowly, he moved to the end of bed and sat down, plastic crinkling beneath him - giving David all the space he needed, giving him time to refuse the gesture or move away himself. Still Patrick didn’t say anything, didn’t even look up – instead his eyes were trained on David’s hands, clenching and unclenching.

David sat there, waiting for judgement. His mouth opened, but he found himself at a loss for words. Why wasn’t Patrick saying anything? Was this it? There was always a moment in David’s relationships where it became obvious he was Too Much – though usually it was only obvious to the other person. In this instance, David was well fucking aware of how deeply he had humiliated himself. But even still, Patrick was – Patrick had been trying to comfort him for a moment there. He wouldn’t…he wouldn’t actually –

Slowly, so slowly and without looking up, Patrick silently reached out his left hand, upturned and waiting. David inhaled sharply and paused, unsure of what to do. He wanted to hide. He wanted to bury himself in the biggest, baggiest clothes he could find. He didn’t want Patrick to look at him. He didn’t want Patrick to touch him – how could Patrick possibly want to touch him right now? Patrick could not want to touch him right now. Except. Except…Patrick wanted to touch him right now.

For a long moment, David stared at the outstretched hand before slowly, so slowly reaching out his own right hand and gently resting it on top. Patrick didn’t tighten his grip at all, only started slowly tracing David’s pinkie finger with his own thumb, still not making eye contact.

Patrick inhaled deeply, watching their joined hands, before slowly and softly exhaling.

“David,” he began, “I know how embarrassed you’re feeling right now. I know you feel embarrassed. But what if you just decided…not to be?”

David opened his mouth to respond, eyebrows furrowed in disbelief, but Patrick interrupted before he could even begin.

“No, let me just…let me say this.” He twisted his hand out from underneath David’s and slowly began running his fingertips lightly along David’s knuckles. David’s hand twitched, hanging in midair, but he kept it where it was and closed his mouth, suddenly unwilling to break the fragile atmosphere. When Patrick spoke again his voice was almost shockingly soft.

“The thing is David, we may not always like it, but…the truth is we all have bodies. And we’re just not always in control of them. I don’t think it’s something we have to be embarrassed about so much as it’s just a fact of life.”

The strokes of his fingers became longer, sweeping along the back of David’s hand. Still he didn’t look up, keeping his eyes trained instead on the movement.

“You and I are gonna be together for a long time. A really long time, I hope. And…not all of it is gonna be sexy,” he continued, shrugging slightly and smiling helplessly, the ghost of a laugh on his voice. “There’ll be times when we’re disgustingly sick, when we’re vomiting or have diarrhea. There’ll be times when we’ll fart, or burp, or just maybe miss a shower and be kind of greasy. But David, I – “

He swallowed, took another deep breath.

“I don’t want you to think that you need to be embarrassed about…being a person. You’re not a robot, David, you’re a person.” He shrugged again. “You’re a person. People have bodies.”

He moved his hand back underneath David’s, slowly pushing until both their hands were fully outstretched, fingertips touching.

“Our bodies aren’t always under our control.” He grinned ruefully. “It’s just the cost of doing business.” His smile bloomed slowly into something surer. “But how could I ever begrudge this body anything it needs to do, David?”

His fingers slid down over the palm of David’s hand. For a moment he seemed to pull away, but it was the barest retraction, leaving only his middle finger, the longest, touching the base of David’s palm, while the others hovered slightly away. Gently his finger began tracing the outside of David’s thumb before continuing along the whole outer perimeter of the hand. David’s breath caught in his throat. Distantly, he recalled once tracing his own hand like this to draw a turkey, following the dips and curves, so many years ago. His pencil didn’t have quite the same effect that Patrick’s touch was having now.

“David, don’t you know how much I love this body? The way it moves, the way it looks." Slowly, breathing heavily now, Patrick finally looked up into David’s eyes. “The mind it holds.” He reached up and stroked his knuckles softly across David’s cheek, thumb coming to rub slowly across his cheekbone.

“And the way it makes me feel. This body made me feel more than I ever thought I could. This body set me free.”

David couldn’t stop the joy bubbling up in him, couldn’t stop the smile spreading on his face, as Patrick’s eyes began to glisten with emotion. _He’s crying_ , David thought. _He’s getting choked up, and he’s about to cry, because…because our bodies aren’t always under our control._

“So please,” Patrick continued, “don’t be angry with your body, David, don’t hate it. I love you. I love you so much. And I love your body _so much_. Please, I can’t bear for you to hate something I love so much. It’s not embarrassing. I’m not embarrassed for you because it’s not embarrassing. It just is. I promise, David. I promise it’s ok. Do you believe me?”

And somehow, incredibly, he did.


End file.
